Among the nine new additions for the Hammers in this summer transfer window, the first two signings of Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham have left West Ham fans surprised about their arrival at the London Stadium this summer. While Foderingham is an experienced goalkeeper, he is 33-years-old and is the third choice goalkeeper after Alphonse Areola and Lukasz Fabianski at the club. Foderingham was brought on a free transfer, however, this still arises the need to spend a transfer fee of £25 million to sign young Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme.
Although West Ham have three quality forwards in the Premier League, captain Jarrod Bowen is a right winger while Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta are creative playmakers, who prefer to play from the central position behind the striker. Also, Kudus is highly likely to leave West Ham next summer due to his £85 million release clause, which will become active next season. Further, uncertainty looms on Lucas Paqueta’s West Ham future due to transfer interest from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as well as due to his off-field issues.
Why West Ham decided to sign Luis Guilherme
On the other hand, Luis Guilherme is an 18-year-old promising forward who can play across the attack as a winger as well as a centre forward. The former Palmeiras star is a jet heeled winger who has great dribbling and has the ability to make several key passes inside the final third. Also, Guilherme has a high potential and at the age of 18, made his first team Palmeiras debut as well alongside becoming a starter for Brazil’s U20 team.
Hence, Guilherme has been signed this season to gain experience with more playing time in the Premier League and become a starter in West Ham’s front three in the upcoming seasons. Therefore, West Ham fans should give Guilherme some time to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League for the talented forward to showcase his huge potential at the London Stadium.